Ramen
by readergrl56
Summary: It was over a bowl of ramen that Shikamaru told Ino he loved her. Ino X Shikamaru


This story was a product of about 3 weeks of wanting to write a story. Plus I haven`t written one for about 2 years. Enjoy!

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It was over a bowl of ramen that Shikamaru told Ino he loved her.

Well, to be technical, it was four bowls of ramen and both Ino and Chouji were there to hear his nonchalant proclamation. The larger of the two was currently choking on his second bowl of pork ramen in shock.

"What the heck, Shikamaru?" Chouji managed to cough out after clearing his windpipe of the broth that he had accidentally sucked down, "When you told me you were going to confess I didn't think it would be right now and in _here_ of all places. Ichiraku has great ramen but it isn't exactly the most romantic of all places."

Shikamaru sighed; this was turning out to be a lot more troublesome than he really wanted it to be. He was supposed to get in, eat ramen, confess, and get out. He really hadn't expected an inquisition into his wooing techniques. By Chouji, nonetheless. This was the last time he made up a plan right after being forced into some father-son bonding experience by his old man. Especially when it involved a bottle of sake.

"What did you expect me to do, Chouji? Buy her flowers from her own flower shop? Give her chocolates that she wouldn't eat because of her perpetual diet? Better yet, I could have made a candle-lit dinner and serenaded her with passionate love songs of old," Along with temporarily lowering his IQ, sake also made Shikamaru talkative. Damn his father.

What concerned him now was not his lack of romantic ideals, but the lack of response from Ino. Given her past enthusiasm for declarations of love, Shikamaru had expected much more of a reaction from the blonde than the shocked state she was currently in. He deduced then that there could really only be two reasons for her continued silence: either she had been shocked into wordlessness (not very likely) or she was building up her strength for some passionate outburst (very likely).

Shikamaru`s thoughts were interrupted by a loud shriek that confirmed the situation as being the second of the two.

"Shikamaru Nara, did you just confess to me in a ramen stand!? A RAMEN STAND!" Ino`s face was a rather unflattering shade of red, considering she was one who worried constantly about her appearance. She had also shot up at her second outburst, knocking over her bowl of vegetable ramen. Chouji let out a grunt of protest through his own meal, but it went unnoticed by the other two, "I mean, I know you're as emotionless as they come, but I thought you were smart enough to know that you don't declare your love to someone in front of your best friend in a place we go _every single week_! At least _I _was planning on giving you flowers when I con-," Ino clamped her hand over her mouth, effectively ending her tirade, but it was too late. Both boys had already heard her unintended confession.

Shikamaru smirked as he went back to his ramen. Not only did he notice the irony in Ino confessing at the same exact place she had berated Shikamaru for, but he also knew that he could use this as blackmail whenever she tried to get him to do anything.

Ino, having sat back down after her own confession, slumped down even farther into her seat as she saw Sakura walk into the shop. They had a competition of sorts about who would confess to their respective loves first. Ino had won the timing aspect of it, being first to confess, but she would lose major points in the "style" category because of it being accidental and because it happened in a stupid _ramen stand._

Chouji just rolled his eyes at the idiocy of his teammates and friends. As he got up to get a rag to clean up Ino`s spilled ramen, he decided that he would pay for all three meals because what was less romantic than confessing love in a ramen stand _and _having a third party pay for the ramen over which the confessing had taken place? Nothing, that's what.

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I really should have studied for exams/ done my homework. Oh well. Reviews are loved


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